


Love Finds a Way

by a1_kitkat



Series: Fictober 2020 [28]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Broken Hearts, Character Death, Guilt, Haunted Houses, Human/Vampire Relationship, Jealousy, M/M, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Mild Sexual Content, Regrets, Seduction, Vampire Magic, again depending how you look at it, depending on how you look at it, i screwed this one up, mild violence, not tagging coz technically they're both endgame in this fic, or which ship you're rooting for, semi happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:41:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27245164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a1_kitkat/pseuds/a1_kitkat
Summary: Forrest Long comes to town to prove ghosts aren't real and the rumoured haunted house is just an urban legend... He doesn't expect to be seduced by a beautiful vampire *or* to be caught in the crosshairs of the Vampire's heartbroken, jealous ex-boyfriend.PROMPT USED - VAMPIRE AU
Relationships: Alex Manes/Jim Valenti, Forrest Long/Alex Manes
Series: Fictober 2020 [28]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947391
Comments: 11
Kudos: 18





	Love Finds a Way

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna be completely honest here...
> 
> I had a really good idea and really enjoyed writing the Forlex of this story, with a little background Jimlex thrown in... But the more I wrote, more invested I became, the Jimlex kinda grew stronger and stronger. I still really wanted it to be a Forlex fic though and *really* tried to make it BOTH (but not in a poly way... not that I'm anti-poly, it just wouldn't work in this particular story/storyline).
> 
> And then I panicked because while I'm okay with where the story went, it wasn't the fic I originally envisioned. Perhaps, over time, I could salvage it but there's much better Vampire Fic's out there if that's what you're really looking for. 
> 
> If Jimlex isn't your thing, I understand but would still encourage you to give this one a look-see because I maintain the IDEA is fine, but once again, just probably not executed as well as it could've been. 
> 
> I *almost* didn't post this one, nearly shelved it completely, but because I still haven't finished today's fic, I had to move this one up. It was meant to be posted closer to Halloween coz of the Vampire/Spooky side but here we are. Thanks for reading my ramble, I hope if y'all take a chance on this fic, you still find some enjoyment in it.

He stood in the middle of the room, eyes scanning the vast amount of papers strewn across the bed and the floor plus the ones stuck to the wall. His hair hadn’t been brushed in three days; fingers stained with red ink from the notes he’d collected. The air felt stale, he hadn’t left the room since he’d checked in nor had he let the cleaners in but he was certain he was ready.

Tonight was the night. He snatched up the photograph of Manes Manor and stared at it. The abandoned, haunted mansion in the hills was calling him and he was going to answer. After tonight, he’d have undeniable proof that ghosts didn’t exist.

He collected up his notes, the topmost picture on the pile a portrait of the ghost in question. The youngest son of the Manes family who now, allegedly, haunted the place after being murdered by his family… killed for the crime of falling in love.

Forrest had spent many nights staring at the portrait of the beautiful, yet clearly sad, young man. The image was over a hundred years old but whenever Forrest looked into his eyes, his heart ached for the young man. It was his eyes that had enthralled him, made him choose this dwelling to investigate for spirits.

He _knew_ ghosts weren’t real but if he was going to be proven wrong and actually meet one, then he wanted it to be him. Forrest wanted to know his story, wanted to look into those eyes for himself, see if he really was as stunning as his portrait.

He placed his notes in the top drawer then jumped into the shower, scrubbing the ink from his fingers then giving his hair a thorough wash. It was a relief to separate himself from his work for a bit, his ex-boyfriend had always accused him of getting too invested in his research. He was trying to break the habit but it was proving difficult.

Forrest left the hotel and breathed in the fresh air on his walk to the local library. He’d spent his entire first day in town hidden away going through old newspapers, looking for signs and mentions of sightings. He hadn’t really learned anything new as most of these stories had worked their way onto the internet over the years, no doubt someone on the town council trying to increase tourism. It was strange how many of these alleged sightings happened around school holidays.

He took another spin on the microfiche but found himself reading the obituaries instead. The last of the Manes family had died over twenty years ago but no one had ever purchased the house, there was no record of who even owned the property now. He wondered if there was any way to find out and perhaps buy it himself.

Wait, what? He paused. Why would _he_ want to buy an old, derelict, possibly haunted mansion? What would he possibly do with it? Offer haunted tours? He laughed at the idea of turning it into a bed & breakfast, charging people who ‘dare to spend the night’.

How he’d gone from trying to prove ghosts weren’t real to wanting to buy a house and charge people to not see ghosts was beyond him but as he stared at the image of the sad young man, his heart still ached for him. Was it really possible to fall in love with someone from just their picture?

He left the library in a hurry and ran straight to the nearest bar to buy a drink. He wasn’t nervous about his plan to break in and go ghost hunting, not at all. He ordered a second drink before realizing he should eat something too.

The locals were friendly and when he asked about the haunted manor, they were all more than happy to share their stories. Most were generic, of the locals growing up in town and sneaking into the manor appeared to be a ‘rite of passage’ for them.

“So, it’s all true then?” Forrest pressed. “Furniture moving on its own, ghostly shadows?”

“He ain’t no ghost,” a drunken voice spoke up.

Forrest turned to see a man around his father’s age, swilling a glass of whiskey in his hand.

“If it’s not a ghost, then what is it?” Forrest asked.

“Evil,” he muttered. “He lures you in with that face and those eyes then he ruins you…”

He downed his drink, slammed the glass on the counter then fell off the stool. Not one person moved to help him up. Forrest watched him pull himself to his feet and stumble from the room.

“Don’t you worry about him,” the bartender told him. “Jim was a deputy and took a call about a disturbance up there… some locals playing a prank on the new guy… locked him in a room and he was trapped there all night… hasn’t been the same since…”

Forrest watched him leave, his interest piqued. So far, all the locals treated this ‘ghost’ like the joke it clearly was but this Jim guy had spent the night there and it had clearly affected him. Maybe he needed to talk to him before embarking on his own trek to the manor.

But once he’d finished his meal and listened to more stories about the ghost, he was more eager to get up there and investigate for himself.

*

It was almost three in the morning when he trekked up the hill, scaled the fence and dropped to the ground. He quietly sneaked up the long front walk and paused at the front door. Forrest checked to make sure his camera was recording then tried to push the door open. It wouldn’t budge.

He tried again but still nothing. Then he noticed the deadbolt and the sign the council had obviously put up about trespassing. He moved around the side of the manor, expecting to find a broken window or some other way in. Forrest reached for his flashlight but waited until he was around the back in case the flicker attracted unwanted attention. He looked up and swore he saw a candle go out. Was someone already inside? Maybe he needed to retreat and come back another night?

He left his flashlight off as he moved across the back of the house, stopping to try each window as he passed but they all appeared to be locked. He climbed onto the window sill and tried to peer inside but the house was dark. His plans to unmask this ghost were about to be thwarted by being unable to get inside!

Forrest dropped to the ground and continued to circle the house. Not a single broken window or door. For a house that had been abandoned years ago, it appeared to be in an almost liveable condition… from the outside anyway. He headed for what was possibly a garage or once a stable in hopes of finding a ladder but no such luck.

He did see the trellis and contemplated climbing it. It looked old and rickety but perhaps it was his only way in… because breaking and entering had always been his plan anyway. He grasped the trellis and began to climb it, reaching the second story without incident. He crawled along the roof and tried the first window.

Then he heard shouting and froze. He carefully moved to the edge of the roof and saw a figure standing in the yard, yelling and throwing things.

“I know you’re in there!” The man was screaming. “I’m not crazy!”

Forrest clung to the roof, keeping his head down as he watched the man pacing around the yard. He didn’t know what to do. Should he come down and try talking to the man or stay hidden until he left? The man drunkenly stumbled across the grass before he disappeared onto the back porch and started bashing his fists upon the door.

He closed his eyes and listened to his rambling… his insistence someone was inside, something evil. Forrest realized it was the man from the bar. Had he followed Forrest up here?

He heard the sirens and a few moments later he spied a few local law enforcement officers as they approached. It only took a few minutes for them to talk him down and escort him away. Forrest realized how close a call it had been for him and made the decision to leave, find this Jim guy tomorrow and talk to him.

He crawled back to the trellis and carefully climbed back down to the ground but as he brushed the dirt from his clothes, he looked up and noticed the back door was wide open. Standing in the open-door frame was the silhouette of a man about his height, wearing a leather jacket. He couldn’t see his face but Forrest reached for his flashlight, assuming it was a cop who was about to arrest him anyway, he turned the light on and pointed it up at the man’s face.

Then he passed out.

***

His entire body ached; he felt like he’d just run two marathons back to back and he wanted to curl up, never move another inch for the rest of his life. He opened one eye, wondering where he was and found himself staring at the ceiling of his hotel room.

Forrest slowly and carefully eased himself into a sitting position. The room was dark as the curtains were closed but the clock beside the bed told him it was after 3pm. He fumbled for his phone to double check the time and blinked in confusion.

According to his phone, it was Thursday. 3.18pm on Thursday. The last thing he could remember was trying to sneak into Manes Manor on Tuesday morning. How had he lost _two days_? Was someone pranking him?

He rolled out of bed and crawled on his hands and knees into the bathroom. Still fully clothed, he climbed into the shower and turned the water on. He sat on the floor, willing the water to make his body stop hurting. 

He tried to remember what had happened, why his shirt smelled like booze. He stripped off his clothes and washed his hair before stumbling back to bed when there was a loud knocking at his door.

Towel wrapped around his waist, he hobbled to the door and opened it to find the hotel manager gaping at him.

“Is there a problem?” Forrest asked him.

“The ‘do not disturb’ sign has been out for three days, it’s policy to ensure you’re okay or that you haven’t run out without paying your bill,”

“Yeah, sorry… I, uh, went on a bit of a bender and think my hangover is just beginning to subside,”

“If you plan to continue your stay, may I suggest allowing housekeeping in tomorrow?”

“Uh, sure,”

The manager left and Forrest sank down on the bed, his eyes focused on his arm… in particular his left wrist. If he’d been a better-behaved teen, he probably wouldn’t have recognized the markings of handcuffs on his skin. He checked his other wrist but it was fine. If he’d been arrested, why would they only cuff one wrist?

He remembered the cops coming to take the drunk man away from the grounds and he grabbed his phone to google it. There was nothing about a second person being caught trespassing that night… But _someone_ had seen him, hadn’t they? He’d jumped down from the roof and… a cop had been in the doorway, hadn’t he?

Forrest got to his feet and went searching for clean clothes. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror and stopped. There, on his neck, was a wound he’d never seen before nor had any memory of acquiring. He needed to get to the bottom of this, now.

*

He was pretty sure only one person could help him but didn’t exactly know where to find him. He went to the bar where he’d first encountered the man but no luck, so he went to the police station only to be told he’d already been released.

Forrest went to every pub and bar in town but still couldn’t find the towns ‘supposed’ drunk. He went back to his hotel to ask the manager for help, saying he’d been drinking with the man and now couldn’t find his watch. The hotel manager just laughed but gave him Jim Valenti’s address.

He decided to walk in a bid to ease his aching limbs but by the time he reached his destination he was about ready to collapse. He knocked on the door and Jim’s voice screamed at him to go away.

“Sir, I need to talk to you about the ghost!” Forrest called. “I’m a writer and I’m trying to prove he doesn’t exist…”

The door flew open and Jim’s old, frail face was glaring at him.

“I told you, he ain’t no ghost!” Jim hissed.

“Then what is he? You said he was evil but he…” Forrest trailed off, unsure what he’d been going to say next.

“Look, I went to investigate on Monday night and I saw the cops arrest you… the next thing I know, I’m in my hotel room and two days have passed.”

To his surprise, Jim laughed at him but his laughter was cut short as he immediately began to look him up and down, his eyes taking in every inch of Forrest. For an old man, his reflexes were impeccable. He grabbed Forrest and yanked at the collar of his shirt to reveal the puncture wound on his neck.

“Well, I’ll be damned…” Jim hissed.

Forrest didn’t move but watched as Jim reached up and pulled at his own collar. He could just make out an extremely faded scar on the man’s neck.

“Looks like you made for one tasty snack, too,” Jim whispered.

“What are you talking about?”

“That’s what he does, son, he lures you in with his voodoo mind tricks and takes what he wants then tosses you away like garbage,”

“How can a ghost leave a scar?”

“Because he’s not a ghost… He’s a _Vampire_ ,”

***

Forrest hadn’t meant to laugh in his face but the idea of Vampires being real was utterly ridiculous. He’d broken free of the man’s grasp and as soon as he’d started ranting about mind control, Forrest had fled.

Now he was sitting on the bed in his hotel room with his laptop open, googling vampire lore. He’d turned the TV on to distract himself and almost screamed when he saw Edward Cullen on the screen.

He knew ghosts weren’t real so naturally that had to mean Vampires weren’t either. Despite Jim Valenti’s drunk insistence that the ghost of Manes Manor was really a Vampire.

He looked around for his notes and saw the pile of clothes on the floor. Forrest made his way over to them and began rummaging for his camera. He’d made certain it had been recording before he’d climbed onto the roof. Just because _he_ couldn’t remember what had happened didn’t mean he couldn’t find a way to jog his memory.

Forrest searched his room from top to bottom but there was no sign of his camera anywhere. He sighed, grabbed his jacket and headed out. He followed the path up to the manor, jumped the fence again. If the police came to arrest him, he’d ask them to help him look for it.

He made his way around to the back and up to the door, jiggling the handle until the door surprisingly opened. He slipped inside and quietly looked around. He moved through the giant house and paused when he spotted his satchel on the table.

Forrest grabbed his bag and rummaged inside, his notebook and pen and camera were all inside. He snatched it up, shouldered the bag and started to leave but stopped and turned back around. 

“Hello?” Forrest called. 

“Hello,”

He hadn’t really been expecting a reply. Forrest spun around and gasped. The figure in the doorway was clad in jeans and a leather jacket, his hair just brushed the collar of his jacket and his eyes… his eyes were dark.

“Holy crap,” Forrest whispered. “I gotta say, the portraits of you really don’t do your beauty justice,”

The figure in the jacket laughed, a soft and gentle laugh that Forrest _felt_ through his entire body. He couldn’t quite believe he was real, that the man whose portrait had captivated him for months was standing right in front of him. The man who’d died over a hundred years ago, was _standing right in front of him_.

“Did you do something to me?” Forrest asked. He reached up, yanked at the collar of his shirt to reveal the wound on his neck. He watched as Alex’s eyes flashed. “Why don’t I remember the past two days?”

Alex’s lips curled into a smirk but he didn’t reply, simply continued to silently observe Forrest. 

“You’re real, aren’t you? You’re not a ghost…?” He continued.

Alex licked his lips, eyes still scanning Forrest’s body before lingering a little too long over his neck.

“There’s a guy in town, he was arrested here the other night and… he says you’re evil,” Forrest said.

“Does he?” Alex’s voice was deep, sexy. It gave him chills but in a good way.

“Why would he think that?” Forrest asked as Alex moved closer to him. “ _Are_ you evil?”

He peered up at Alex, the man wasn’t that much taller than him but it was exhilarating the way he gazed down at Forrest. He swallowed almost nervously as Alex reached up and gently cupped his cheek.

“I am,” Alex whispered, his lips very close to Forrest’s ear. “I’m _truly_ evil.”

“You are?” Forrest breathed, heart racing.

“Are you scared?”

“Scared?”

“Of me.”

He felt Alex’s tongue on his neck and he closed his eyes, tilted his head as he released a low moan. His own hand reached under the leather jacket to caress Alex’s skin, then everything went dark.

*-*-*

“Housekeeping!”

Forrest awoke to the sound of someone loudly knocking on his door. He sat up in bed, looked around in confusion as the door opened and an impatient looking woman stared at him.

“I’m to clean today or the manager is kicking you out,” she stated.

He looked around the room then down at himself. He was wearing the same clothes as the previous day but on the floor, just inside the door was his satchel. The satchel he’d found on the table at Manes Manor. 

“Can you come back in ten minutes? I promise I’ll tip very generously!”

She huffed and muttered about doing the room next to his first. He jumped up, grabbed the bag and pulled out his camera. The battery was dead but he pulled out the memory card.

He brushed his teeth, removed his shirt and gasped at his reflection. His neck had another similar wound but his chest was covered in scratches… like, fingernails grazing his skin. He grabbed another shirt and pulled it on, threw a wad of notes onto the bed then grabbed his laptop and hightailed it from the room.

Forrest hurried to the library, the one other place he could have some privacy, and he slipped the memory card into the slot. He waited for the video to play and saw the grainy view of him climbing the trellis, heard the commotion of Jim and the police then he watched as the back porch came into focus. 

The figure standing in the doorway was Alex then the video showed the stars in the sky above, no doubt the result of him collapsing. He scrolled back, turned the volume up as loud as possible and heard Alex’s voice telling him to ‘sleep’.

‘He lures you in with his voodoo mind tricks,’ Jim had said to him. 

Forrest opened a google search, laughing at himself as he typed the question ‘can vampires use mind control?’

When he didn’t like the answers provided, he switched back to the video but there was nothing worth seeing. He played the entire thing at triple speed but only saw a dark, black screen the entire time. He packed away his laptop and left the library, a feeling of dread inside him as he traipsed back to Jim’s place.

*

It wasn’t even 11am and the old man was already drunk off his face. He let him in without question but Forrest, once again, didn’t know where to begin.

“What did you mean by voodoo mind tricks?” Forrest asked.

“Oh? So, you believe me now?” Jim laughed.

“He did something to me, I’m sure of it.”

“And _why_ are you so sure?”

Forrest pulled his shirt off to reveal the scratches on his chest. Jim moved closer, his old hand shaking as he reached out but stopped just before he could touch his skin.

“Damn,” Jim whistled. “He really had fun with you, didn’t he?”

“What the hell am I supposed to do?”

“You really want _my_ advice, son?”

“Yes! Please?”

“Leave; go back to wherever you’re staying, pack your things and go… never come back here,”

“That’s your advice? I look like I’ve been mauled by a bear and your advice is to _run away_?”

“Believe me, it’s for your own good. You don’t want to end up like me… old and alone and heartbroken,”

“What do you…”

“Vampires don’t age, boy, but _we_ do,” Jim stared down at his wrinkled hands. “He didn’t want to watch me get old and it pains me to still see him looking so young… but I can’t seem to stay away, going back there every week, just hoping to catch a glimpse one last time before I die…”

Forrest could see the pain in his eyes. Jim had been in love with one person he couldn’t have for years and it had slowly driven him to become… this. He _was_ trying to do Forrest a favour, telling him to run away now and forget all about Alex but it was too late for him; Forrest had fallen for Alex long before he ever met him.

Jim picked up a bottle of scotch and took another sip. Forrest quietly excused himself.

“Hey!” Jim called to him when he reached the door. “His mind tricks wear off when you’re drunk… you can remember every word, every touch, every kiss…”

“Doesn’t that just make it worse?”

“It’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all…”

***

Against his better judgment, Forrest purchased a bottle of scotch and took it back to his room which had been cleared thoroughly by housekeeping. He set up his laptop and played the video back again but with the volume on high. There was nothing to see, probably because the camera had been knocked out of sight but there was audio… a lot of audio.

Forrest picked up the bottle and began to drink.

*

_The room was dark but the bed he was lying on was comfortable, extremely comfortable. His shoes were gone and he found himself staring at the tip of his toe, peeking out of the hole in his sock. He reached down to adjust it but couldn’t move his hand. Forrest turned his head and saw the handcuff affixed to his left wrist. He immediately began to tug on it, trying to break free._

_He told himself not to panic but he was handcuffed to a bed in a room lit with candles and no windows, no visible way of escaping. He continued pulling on the cuff, wincing as it cut into his skin._

_“Please don’t struggle,”_

_The voice in the darkness startled him but he didn’t yelp from surprise. He looked around, trying to determine the direction the voice had come from._

_“It’s not my intention to hurt you,”_

_He didn’t know if he should be relieved or not. Just because he claimed he didn’t want to hurt him, didn’t mean he wouldn’t._

_“You handcuffed me to your bed?” Forrest asked._

_“You were trespassing,”_

_“So, you call the cops, you don’t handcuff people to your bed!”_

_Forrest continued to glare into the dark, whoever was speaking to him was staying just out of sight._

_“The cops would arrest you, maybe even lock you up,”_

_“Uh, news flash… you’ve locked me up!”_

_He rattled at the cuffs as he tried to break free and yelped when his struggle broke the skin, drawing blood. He swore as the figure across the room gasped._

_“Well, unless you want blood on your sheets, you might want to uncuff me,” he tried to reason._

_His kidnapper stepped forward into the candlelight and Forrest gasped. He recognized the beautiful face of Alex Manes, the young man who’d died over a hundred years ago. Ghosts weren’t real, they couldn’t be but whatever was standing before him was definitely Alex._

_A part of him was too scared to speak, another part longed to kiss him. Seeing the vision of beauty before him made him wonder what fucking a ghost would feel like._

_He moved with ease and grace, practically gliding across the room, just like a ghost! But the bed dipped as he sat down beside Forrest and he reasoned this was no ghost. He was real. He had to be a descendant of the handsome man, there was no other explanation._

_“I promise I won’t hurt you,” he said to Forrest as he reached over and unlocked the cuff, freeing his wrist._

_“Who are you?” Forrest whispered._

_“I think you already know who I am,”_

_“Alex? Alex Manes?”_

_Alex nodded his head as he gently caressed Forrest’s wrist, trying to ease the pain he’d caused but mostly just using his thumb to wipe at Forrest’s blood._

_“You’re not a ghost,” Forrest continued. “You’re real, I can feel you… But… You died,”_

_“Yes,” Alex whispered. He raised Forrest’s hand to his lips and softly kissed his bleeding wrist._

_“What are you?”_

_“Lonely,”_

_“I mean… you’re not a ghost so how are you here? How are you real? And why does… There’s a man in town who says you’re evil,”_

_Alex’s eyes flashed with a hint of darkness as Forrest gazed into them but he didn’t flinch, just hoped Alex would continue kissing his wrist._

_“Because I am,” Alex replied. “I did kidnap you after all.”_

_“Why does he think you’re evil?”_

_“Because I did an awful thing to him, years ago, and he never forgot, but I’m stronger and more experienced now, I will be able to make you forget.”_

_“Forget what?”_

_“All the wicked things I’m going to do to you tonight,”_

_Forrest swallowed both nervously and excitedly as he stared, transfixed by Alex. He’d been drawn to the man’s portrait for months but now that he was actually in his presence, he didn’t care if Alex was a ghost or just a figment of his imagination…_

_It actually made sense for him to be; Forrest realized. He must’ve fallen off the roof and hit his head, this was all a dream. A very lucid and sexy dream. He’d fantasized about this for long enough, of course his mind would go there while he was passed out in the backyard of an abandoned building. No one would ever find him, he was going to die out there, and in his dying moments his mind was going to let him go out on a sex dream. He was surprisingly okay with that… especially when the man he was dreaming about looked like Alex…_

_His heart was racing as Alex’s soft lips caressed his damaged skin. He’d fought too hard on the cuffs… why had he been so desperate to escape? He couldn’t remember, not when Alex’s dark eyes were locked with his in such a mesmerizing way. He swallowed when Alex moved up his hand to his palm, allowing Forrest’s fingers to touch his face and his soft, silky hair._

_He heard a groan and realized it had come from his own lips. His body was already reacting to the infinite possibilities of wicked things Alex was going to do to him. If this was a dream or an hallucination, he never wanted it to end. Alex turned into his touch and Forrest slipped his hand behind his neck, urged him up to meet him and their lips came together in a lingering kiss._

*

Forrest snapped out of his drunken stupor to find his laptop completely dead. He went searching for the lead to connect the power and groaned at the mess he found himself in. He hadn’t had a wet dream in who knows how long yet his pants told another story.

He plugged the lead into the laptop, kicked off his pants and went into the bathroom to clean himself off. He settled back in front of his computer and played the recording back again. The video tallied up with what his drunk memory or vision had shown him. 

The town drunk, Jim Valenti, had been telling the truth. Alex Manes was a Vampire with mind controlling abilities. He wanted to laugh because it was absolutely absurd but the recording on his computer told a different story as there was no mistaking the sounds that he was making… that moan he could hear was from when Alex had teased his nipple. He closed his eyes and could see it, like a fuzzy dream.

Several minutes later he heard his cries from when Alex’s long fingers had pressed inside him. The screams of pleasure as Alex had fingered him to orgasm without once touching his cock. He heard his cries and slammed the laptop closed. That’s how he’d lost two whole days of his life, in the thrall of a sexy, seductive Vampire who’d brought him to orgasmic bliss over and over again.

Alex believed he’d wiped the memories from Forrest’s mind… their next exchange, or what he could remember of it, was proof of that for they’d had the same conversation about Jim but Forrest had no way of determining what had happened _after_ that exchange. Alex had asked if Forrest was scared of him but he hadn’t replied… or had he?

He needed to go back… Needed to see him again. He could take his camera just in case…

It was the middle of the day; the sun was high in the sky as Forrest jumped the fence and hurried to the back door. He rattled the knob and barged into the Manor. Last time Alex had met him right here but parts of the place looked… familiar, was his memory coming back?

He moved through the room, further into the house until he found the door to the basement and kicked it open. Forrest ran down the stairs and paused at the bottom. Alex was sleeping in his oversized bed and all he wanted to do was climb in beside him.

Now that he was here, he wasn’t sure what his plan was. He really hadn’t thought this through. Forrest slowly began to sneak back up the stairs, leaving Alex asleep but once he stepped into the main room he frowned. The back door was wide open and he definitely remembered closing it. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he nervously looked around.

He was once again caught off guard by the fast reflexes of Jim Valenti who shoved him against the wall, the barrel of a gun pressed deep into Forrest’s chin.

“What the hell?” Forrest grimaced through clenched teeth.

“I _knew_ you’d be here!” Jim hissed at him. “I just _knew_ it.”

“What are _you_ doing here?”

“Stopping you, of course,”

“Me?”

“I know what you’re up to… coming into my town and trying to lure him away from me… well you _can’t_!”

“What are you-?”

“You don’t understand… He and I were meant to be together,” Jim blinked back tears. 

“But you’re old now,”

“ _I wasn’t always_! I was young and we were happy and in love but then he just up and left… and I waited for twenty years for him to come back and there he was, as young and beautiful as he’d been before… but suddenly _I_ wasn’t what he wanted anymore and he started prowling for younger types like you…”

“So why are you pointing a gun at _me_?”

“Because I _was_ you! But I’m not just going to stand by and watch as he corrupts more and more of us… he has to be stopped… he’s _evil_ and I love him… I still love him… And seeing his marks on _you…_ No! He’s _mine_! And if I can’t be with him then neither can you!”

Forrest felt the gun digging into his skin. He was certain he’d be able to take him out in a fight but Jim was clearly drunk or deranged or both and an unstable man with a loaded gun wasn’t someone Forrest wanted to tangle with.

“Jim?”

Alex’s voice was soft and gentle but it echoed through the empty house. Jim spun around, keeping Forrest in front of him like a human shield but keeping the gun to his head. To his credit, Alex didn’t look scared, just sad.

“Jim, please let him go,” Alex asked, softly.

“Why should I?”

“Because he’s done nothing wrong and doesn’t deserve to be hurt.”

“Nothing wrong? He was in your bed, he has the scars, you _enjoyed_ him… he’s my replacement, isn’t he?”

“Jim, no, no one could ever replace you,”

“You’re _lying_! You _never_ used to lie to me!”

Forrest could feel Jim’s grasp tightening around his neck while the gun began pressing into his temple. He was already struggling to breathe.

“Please, let him go,” Alex said again.

“Why? Why do you care what happens to _him_?”

“Because you’re not a murderer; you’d never hurt someone who was innocent.”

“Innocent? He let himself be used by you, taken in by your beautiful face and now he’s in love with you… that’s not _innocent_.”

Alex’s eyes flashed with anger as he glared at Jim and hissed ‘release him’ in an eerily terrifying tone. Jim’s fingers slipped from his neck and Forrest slumped to the ground as he gasped for air.

“I’m sorry,” Alex apologized to Jim. “I didn’t want to-”

“To mind warp me?” Jim gasped. “You… You did that for _him_? You chose him over me…”

Jim raised the gun and pointed it at Alex, his hand shaking as he tried to keep his aim. He didn’t want to shoot him.

“Jim-” Alex started.

“Evil doesn’t belong in this world,” Jim sobbed, hands still shaking.

“I’m sorry I hurt you, Jim, I never intended for that… I never should’ve allowed you to… I tried, tried to make you forget me but I wasn’t strong enough and… I damaged you instead,”

“You loved me; I _know_ you did.”

“That was a _long_ time ago.”

“But you keep coming back. You disappear for years at a time then show up, looking exactly the same as you always have and you twist my heart all over again.”

“Because _you_ keep coming back and I keep telling you to move on, forget me and live your life. Yet you show up, drunk off your face and the cops have to take you away. Just go home, Jim,”

“I _can’t_ move on; I love you and I always have… I always will but now I’m old and decrepit like this house and you’re trading me in for a younger model which you’ll just end up fucking over like you did to me. If I can’t have you, no one will!”

Jim grabbed his own hand to steady his aim.

Alex didn’t move as Jim pulled the trigger… but Forrest did.

*****

Forrest’s shoulder was still aching despite the pain meds the doctor had prescribed to him. After three days of lying in a hospital bed, he was finally free and, on his way, back to his hotel room. He unlocked the door and pushed his way inside, wincing as it knocked his shoulder. The sling was annoying and he planned to ditch it immediately.

His room had been cleaned and tidied by housekeeping; the curtains left open to let some natural light into the room. He walked over to the bed and threw himself down on it, hissing in pain as he, once again, bumped his shoulder.

“Fuck,” he muttered to himself.

What was he supposed to do now? The house he’d come to debunk _wasn’t_ haunted but was a safe refuge for a lonely vampire. The old town drunk was dead and Forrest had a medical bill for a gunshot wound that he’d never be able to pay for.

“Can you please close the curtains?”

Forrest sat up and looked around the deserted room, wondering where Alex’s voice had come from. Had he mastered telepathy?

“What the fu-?” Forrest started.

“The irony isn’t lost on me, I’m in the closet,” Alex admitted.

He immediately tried to envision the sexily seductive vampire huddled in his hotel closet but just couldn’t picture it.

“I wanted to talk to you but couldn’t while you were at the hospital so I decided to wait here. Housekeeping came so I hid in here but they left the curtains open and… now I’m stuck…” he added.

Forrest climbed to his feet and pulled the curtains closed, plunging the room into near darkness. He heard the closet door open but he remained near the curtain, hand clutching the material in case he felt the need to open them suddenly… not that he thought Alex would hurt him but the man did have a habit of erasing his memories.

“Thank you,” Alex’s voice was soft and very close, too close, but Forrest wasn’t actually scared though he felt he should be.

“What are you doing here?” He asked him.

“I came to talk, make sure you were okay…”

“Well, I’m fine, so you can go…”

“I can’t, it’s the middle of the day.”

“So, you’re not one of those types who _can_ go outside but shouldn’t?”

“I don’t look like I’m covered in body glitter if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Pity; you’d look sexy with glitter all over your body.” He paused, winced at his words. “I don’t know why I said that.”

“After more than a hundred years of living, you think I’d be used to compliments, huh?”

“Well, the word sexy may have only been coined in the early 1900’s but I feel it’s really only found commonality in the last, say, fifty years... so…”

“Jim was the first man to ever call me such a word.”

“He wasn’t wrong,” Forrest released his grasp on the curtain and moved to sit down on the bed, resting against the pillows at the head. “Is he really dead?”

“Yes,” Alex whispered. “I’m sorry you got hurt.”

“I’m sorry I can’t fully remember you fucking my brains out… these things happen…” he paused, rubbed his shoulder. “What _exactly_ did happen? The cops asked me all these questions that I couldn’t answer… Jim tried to kill you but he ended up dead?”

He didn’t hear Alex’s footsteps as he glided around the room but he felt the dip of the mattress as he sat down on the foot of the bed.

“The official story is that Jim was drunk and trespassing where he shouldn’t have been… Because of his state of mind, he was convinced there was something evil in the house and he tried to shoot it. Unfortunately, _you_ were also sneaking about the place… researching your book, and it was you that he shot. He thought he’d killed you and the guilt hit him instantly so he turned the gun on himself.”

“Fuck,” Forrest muttered. Jim Valenti had been a nutter but he’d mostly seemed harmless.

“The reports claim it was a… fitting end to his story, since he’d spent his entire life obsessed with what had happened to him in that house, his insistence on keeping other people away from _the evil_ that resided there…”

“I still don’t understand. He spent one night locked in that house with you, fifty years ago, and it ruined him… you kept me in your bed for two days but I haven’t become a raving lunatic.”

Alex’s reflexes were fast and smooth. One minute, Forrest was sitting on the bed, the next he was up against the wall with Alex’s long fingers wrapped around his neck, crushing his windpipe. His shoulder had been jarred and he tried gasping in pain.

“He was _not_ a raving lunatic,” the tone of Alex’s voice made him tremble but he was released almost instantly and Forrest sank to the ground, gasping for air and clutching his arm.

“And it wasn’t just one night,” Alex continued. “Jim was a rookie deputy, new in town, some locals decided to initiate him to the force by pranking him. He was sent to investigate people trespassing at the Manor. They lured him to the basement and locked him in… intending to come back in the morning but that night there was a storm, a terrible one, power lines came down and a lot of trees, roads flooded, bridges washed out… in the melee, they forgot about him… Jim was trapped for ten days before they came back for him.”

“ _Ten days_?”

“The storm outside was brutal and he was scared, even after I introduced myself to him, tried to calm him down… Distracted him with sex… the men who’d pulled the prank at least had the forethought to leave a bottle of water for him that he had to ration but we got very close, very intimate, very quickly and after a week, he was weak and I was scared what would happen to him… I almost turned him, to save him. The day I decided to turn him was the day they finally came to free him so I had to make him forget me and I manipulated his mind, made him think he’d been haunted and teased by a vengeful spirit all week… They took him to hospital for treatment before transferring him to a… another one for…”

“They sent him for a psych evaluation,” Forrest finished. 

“He ranted about ghosts and sex and evilness so of course they believed he’d had a breakdown. I thought I was protecting him and myself… But my abilities were new and after being locked up for ten days myself I was weak too though I hadn’t known that at the time. In trying to manipulate his mind, I destroyed it. He couldn’t tell what was real anymore. Jim kept coming to the house and I missed him so much that I’d let him. He’d ask me if I was real and I’d say no. We’d make love and I’d send him away. This went on for two years…”

“Two years?”

“For twenty-two months, he’d come to the manor and find me, demanding to know the truth while telling me that he loved me. I’d tell him I was a ghost, a vision, a vampire, a dream, whatever excuse he’d believe until we’d adjourn to the basement and make love. His mind was ruined but he loved me and I loved him… Until I couldn’t stay any longer and I left. Just vanished in the middle of the night. Thinking he’d be better off without me around but as silly as it sounds, this place was my home and I felt safe here so I came back about fifteen years later. Jim was waiting for me, older but still as messed up. I’d missed him, so I used him again. The guilt overwhelmed me and I immediately left town again.”

“So, you’ve been playing with his heart and his mind for all these years?”

“Not intentionally; I was trying to… protect myself. People in this town think that house is haunted and I let them because if they learned the truth, they’d kill me… But Jim was different and I was lonely… He was right, I _am_ evil… And he tried to warn you away but you didn’t listen…”

“So… you having sex with me and erasing my memory is _my fault_?” Forrest asked. “Despite what you just said, you clearly just fuck any guy who wanders into your house-”

“You were going to expose me,”

“No, I wasn’t… Because no one would believe a fucking vampire is pretending to haunt a house. All you had to do was let me wander around the place, not find a ghost, and I would’ve just left.”

“Well, how was I supposed to know that? I saw you and I panicked… And I was hungry…”

“What?”

“I’ve been alone for a long time and you were… different… eager, easy to seduce,”

“Now you think I’m easy?”

He couldn’t really see Alex in the dark but he did notice the way his shoulders slumped. He thought of all the various vampire lore he’d read online since learning of Alex’s existence… vicious, blood sucking, killers. Alex was none of those things. He was lonely and wracked with guilt.

“I was sure I could erase your memory; that it wouldn’t matter what happened because you wouldn’t remember… then you came back and a part of me was actually _happy_ but I didn’t want you to end up like Jim. Wiping your memory, properly, making you forget me was the only thing I could do…”

“Are you going to do it again?” Forrest asked. “Erase this conversation too?”

“Yes,”

“Please don’t,” he reached across the bed and placed his hand on Alex’s knee. He couldn’t quite believe he was making conversation with a vampire in his hotel room. “I promise I’ll keep your secret but I can only do that if I remember it… I might come back in six months or a year to investigate because I don’t remember being here now. Please let me remember.”

“Do you want the other memories, too? Of us and our time together…”

“You can return them to me?”

“Honestly, I never really took them… more like hid them. The memories are still in your mind, you’re just blocked from accessing them. So, yes, I can restore them.”

Alex reached down and took hold of Forrest’s hand. He raised his hand to his lips and kissed his palm. A nervous and excited shiver ran down his spine. 

“Can I ask you…” Forrest paused, hesitating. “Are you… angry at Jim Valenti for trying to kill you?”

“I’m angry you got hurt protecting me… Jim’s actions towards me were justified. I destroyed him and it was too late to rectify, the Jim I fell in love with was lost… he did what he did because of the pain I’d caused to him.”

“So you’re not angry at him then?”

“No… and I don’t expect you to understand.”

“You think I don’t understand how love works?”

“You’re young and inexperienced when it comes to matters of the heart.”

Forrest wanted to feel insulted but a part of him did believe him. He’d never truly been in love before… not until he’d seen Alex’s image during his initial research of rumoured haunted dwellings.

“Well, you’ve got me there,” he whispered. “But… please… don’t let me forget you.”

“I should though,” Alex whispered. “Should make you forget that you ever learned of my existence. It would be much safer for you and your… mind…”

“I don’t _want_ to forget you. I don’t want to forget any of this.”

“You will, once you learn the entire truth.”

“So, tell me, over a drink, and I’ll decide for myself.”

“I don’t drink… I can’t…”

Forrest’s lips curled into a smile and he slid across the bed towards Alex. He reached up, placed his hand upon his face and gently pulled Alex towards him as he tilted his head, allowing Alex to bury his face in Forrest’s neck.

“You _can_ , I want you to,” Forrest whispered.

“I shouldn’t,” Alex replied as his tongue lapped at Forrest’s skin. “I shouldn’t.”

“Drink from me, tell me all your secrets and I’ll tell you mine.”

“It’s not-”

“The sun won’t set for hours… You came here to talk and now you’re stuck until the sun sets. So, let’s make the most of what little time we have left together… okay?”

Alex didn’t reply but Forrest felt his sharp teeth against his skin, he closed his eyes and welcomed it.

*****

His bags were packed, he’d returned the room key and was preparing to leave town for good but the thought of never seeing Alex again was too much for him. Forrest climbed into his car but instead of driving away, he headed to the Manor. 

Alex had stealthily left during the night, after returning his memories to him and partaking in one final drink. But Forrest needed to see him just one more time… Was this what had driven Jim to take his own life? His desire to be with Alex and the gnawing inside him, knowing it wasn’t possible for them to be together anymore…

His heart ached for Alex and for Jim. Alex had been alone for so long when Jim had crossed his path. Their connection had formed so quickly but Alex had been forced to push him away only for it to backfire on him. Forrest didn’t want to end up like Jim himself but he understood where the man had been coming from, Alex had been so easy to fall in love with.

He climbed out of the car, scaled the fence, wincing from the pain in his shoulder then creeped around the back of the property. Once on the porch, he tried the back door but it was padlocked shut. Frowning to himself, he moved to the trellis and climbed to the second floor, his shoulder still aching. Trying each window until one eventually gave and he slipped inside.

The house was dark enough inside but he continued his exploration, heading for the basement. He paused long enough to knock on the door before opening it.

Forrest pounded down the stairs, calling Alex’s name and he took them two steps at a time. When he reached the bottom step, he paused and gasped in surprise.

Alex was sitting up in the bed, likely just woken from Forrest barging in and disturbing him but lying beside him was a young man who looked familiar but not really.

“Forrest,” Alex’s soft voice was filled with pain. “I told you to stay away.”

“I was just leaving town and wanted to say goodbye before I left… I promise, I _am_ leaving.”

But as he looked at the stranger on the bed with Alex, he couldn’t help thinking of all the things he now remembered doing in that same bed.

“Who is… how have…” Forrest’s eyes were drawn to the man who was tenderly stroking Alex’s cheek. Alex’s locks were slipping through his fingers, like he wasn’t actually touching him.

“You don’t recognize him, do you?” Alex asked Forrest.

His eyes roamed all over the man. His eyes, his cheekbones, his firm jaw, muscular chest that was hidden beneath his shirt. The shirt being that of the county sheriff’s uniform. Forrest swallowed his surprise.

“Jim Valenti?” He whispered. Forrest picked up an unlit candle and threw it across the room. It passed right through the man and hit the wall. “You’re a… a…”

“Turns out this house is more haunted than you initially thought it was,” Alex said to him. “After that night, Jim came back to me and we can finally be together,”

“But you can’t touch him or feel him or-”

“Love finds a way,”

Forrest took a step back and another and another. He turned and ran up the stairs, all the way to the door but it was padlocked from the outside. He’d never had a panic attack before but was fairly certain he was having one now.

“It’s okay,” Jim’s voice sounded so different. Forrest looked at him and tried so hard to remain calm. “Hey, I never believed in ghosts either but when I had the chance to stay here and be with Alex, forever, I just knew I had to take it.”

“You know I came to this town to prove there was no ghost here and now I’ve had sex with a vampire, am talking to a ghost who’s in love with that vampire…” Forrest muttered.

“You’re not going to… prove ghosts are real then?”

“No,” he sighed. “Because I… I get it… If I had the chance to stay here with him, I’d take it too…”

“Maybe you can… come back someday… He, uh, did enjoy the taste of your blood and obviously I can’t… can’t feed him anymore…”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” 

“You know I was just being polite, right?”

“You know you shot me, right?”

“I am sorry for that. I wasn’t of sound mind, hadn’t been for a long time but none of that matters to me anymore because I have Alex… We’re together again; I have everything I could ever want or need.”

“But does he?”

***-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-***

It was four years before Forrest passed through town again. He didn’t go to a hotel, didn’t see or speak to anyone, simply drove straight to the Manor which didn’t look any different, save for a few broken windows on the upper floors. 

He didn’t have to climb the fence because it was no longer chained closed. The signs were still there, warning people to stay away from the unsafe site. Forrest traipsed across the yard and around behind the house. The padlock had been broken but was still hanging off the hinge. He kicked the door open and stepped inside.

“Hello?” Forrest called as he coughed into his hand. “Alex? Are you here?”

He moved through the house, wondering why Jim’s ghost hadn’t launched itself at him.

“Hello?” He called again. “Anyone?”

He continued on his way, pushed open the basement door and headed down the stairs. He couldn’t see anything as he tried to navigate the staircase. When he reached the bottom step, he still couldn’t see through the darkness.

“Alex?” Forrest coughed. “Why is it so dark in here? Alex? _Alex_?”

He pulled his phone from his pocket and turned the flashlight on. Alex was laying on the bed, eyes open, gazing up at the ceiling in an almost comatose way.

“Alex?” Forrest moved towards him and reached out, gently shaking him. “ _Alex_? Where’s Jim?”

“Forrest?” Alex whispered. “What are you…?”

“Where’s Jim?”

“Gone.”

“Gone?”

Forrest blinked in confusion as Alex slowly sat up. He reached for him, gently brushed his hair from his face.

“How is he _gone_?” Forrest asked.

“We were happy, for a long time, and then things got hard… Jim was so loving and always there but… He realized that being around each other and not being able to touch or feel or kiss was just too painful for both of us… He thought he was holding me back; I didn’t want to leave him…” Alex whispered. 

“So, what happened?”

“He… left… He told me he had everything he ever wanted in being with me but that he felt he wasn’t enough for me so his spirit left and I’ve been alone here ever since.”

“I’m sorry,” Forrest whispered.

“Why did you come back?” Alex asked. “If you thought he and I were both so happy together…”

“It doesn’t matter-”

“I’m too weak to mind warp you; why are you here?”

“Because not a day goes by that I don’t think of you, of being with you, kissing you, touching you,” Forrest confessed. “So, when my doctor told me… told me I…”

Alex’s eyes flicked up to meet Forrest’s gaze and he could see tears glistening in his eyes. 

“Are you…?” Alex whispered.

“Brain tumour,” Forrest replied. “Inoperable.”

“You’re… dying?”

“Yeah.”

“So, you came here?”

“To see you one last time and make sure you were still happy, taken care of…”

“And?” Alex reached up and wiped the tears from Forrest’s cheeks. 

“And now I’m hoping you can save me,” he replied. 

“Save you?”

“Turn me, Alex,” Forrest whispered. “Turn me into a Vampire, please?”

“Why should I?”

“Because I’m dying and I love you. I want to be with you.”

“What you’re asking is a lot,”

“I know, Will you do it?”

“Of course I will.”


End file.
